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AGA: Arbeitsgruppe Physik und Abrüstung

AGA 3: Military-relevant R&D and New Technologies

AGA 3.1: Invited Talk

Thursday, March 5, 2009, 10:30–11:30, VMP 9 HS

The Increasing Militarisation of Universities in the UK and Elsewhere — •Stuart Parkinson and Chris Langley — Scientists for Global Responsibity, Folkestone, Kent, UK

Two important trends have contributed to a growth of military involvement in universities in recent years, especially in countries such as the USA and UK. The first is the so-called 'War on Terror' led by the US government, which has stimulated a major increase in the number of programmes addressing research and development with military objectives. The second is the growth in the commercialisation of universities, which involves greater collaboration with industry and the restructuring of the universities to behave more like businesses.

This presentation will focus mainly on developments in the UK over the last 5-10 years - especially the expansion of military-university 'partnerships' and the ethical concerns that they raise. It will also include some discussion about the situation in the USA and Europe. It will be based mainly on the research carried out by the UK organisation, Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR).